Still, there are a lot of good things worth mentioning about MODS.
For example, MODS makes control field data searchable by bursting byte specific values into XML elements with distinct names. While this doesn't solve the problem with using codes, at least coded values are more accessible as a result of being wrapped in distinct XML elements.
Another one of MODS' strengths is that it provides a nice balance between the complexity of MARC and the useability of simplier standards like Dublin Core.
On the MODS' website, its creators suggest this compromise may be benficial to those libraries looking for an extension schema to supplement the METS standard, those interested in making their metadata available for harvesting, or for those wanting to represent simplified MARC data in XML.